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USMNT to face Venezuela in Cincinnati ahead of Gold Cup opener

US Soccer will play its final tune-up for the Gold Cup against a rising Venezuelan team in Cincinnati. It will be the team's first ever visit to the city.

BY
Brian Sciaretta
Posted
April 18, 2019
6:00 AM

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THE UNITED STATES national team will head to Cincinnati for the first time on June 9 when it will face Venezuela at Nippert Stadium in its final tune-up head of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The final rosters for the Gold Cup are due June 3 so this match will feature the Gold Cup team after final cuts have been made. Kickoff for the match will be at 2pm ET and will be broadcast on FOX and Unimas.

Venezuela is very much a program on the rose and is coming off a 3-1 win over Argentina last month and it is feeding off a generation of players that advanced to the final of the 2017 U-20 World Cup.

“We are looking forward to having this opportunity heading into the Gold Cup,” United States head coach Gregg Berhalter said. “Venezuela is in a period of emerging talent with their national teams. This generation of players reached the 2017 U-20 World Cup Final and has already produced an impressive result at the senior level by beating Argentina. Like us, they have been testing themselves against different types of opposition. When you add in the support that FC Cincinnati has developed and we expect to see, you couldn’t ask for a better preparation match.”

The United States will open its Gold Cup campaign against Guyana on June 18 at the new Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn. Following that match, the U.S. moves east to face Trinidad & Tobago on Saturday, June 22 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland before closing group play against Panama on Wednesday, June 26 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan.

The U.S. team has played four matches under new manager Gregg Berhalter winning against Panama, Costa Rica, and Ecuador followed by a 1-1 draw against reigning Copa America champion Chile.